Devan Napier
by batfan399
Summary: Batman finds a wounded fifteen year old girl in an alley one night. He takes care of her in the Batcave, only to find that Black Mask has placed a reward for her alive. Why? What's so special about this girl? (Plz tell me if it's good or not and if I should finish it, Rated T for language, violence and harassment, no mean reviews plz :D)
1. Who's Devan Napier?

_(Batman)-_

Batman was driving in the Batmobile one night, after apprehending the Joker and sending him to Arkham Asylum. He was driving down an alley on his way back to Wayne Manor when suddenly some figure limps out of nowhere and falls right in his path. Batman slams on the brakes, just barely missing the mysterious being on the ground.

Batman rushes out of his vehicle and examines the figure.

_A girl,_ he notes. _About fifteen years of age, unconscious, looks like she's been through a lot tonight. Broken ankle, broken shoulder, countless bruises. The swelling and the amount of blood coming out of her head says she's been punched in the face multiple times._

_I can't leave her,_ Batman thought. He picked her up and gently put her in the passenger seat of the Batmobile and drives off.

_The hospital will destroy any evidence on what happened to her, and plus it's on the other side of town, _Batman thought. _I'll treat her as much as I can at the Batcave, then she can go to the hospital. _

The girl began to groan next to him. _She's regaining consciousness_, Batman thought. Then she coughed up blood in her lap right as he pulled into the Batcave.

"It's all right," Batman says as he carries her to the metal table, with her still coughing and groaning in pain. "I'm going to take good care of you, and you'll be home in no time."

"Good heavens, sir." Alfred said behind him.

"I'll explain later, Alfred, just hand me the sedation on the chemical table."

Alfred returned ten seconds later with a small needle filled with a clear liquid substance. Batman took it and injected it into the girl's arm, watching her slowly fall asleep.

"What happened to the poor girl?" Alfred asks.

"I found her like this in an alley, Alfred. I didn't know what else to do."

"Take her to a hospital, sir?"

"I will, eventually. But for now, I need you to take a blood sample and find out who she is while I treat what I can."

Batman wrapped the girl's bleeding head and put ice on her bruises and swelled areas while Alfred searched on the Batcomputer. "Her name is Devan Napier," he begins. "Let's see, she's a sophomore at Gotham High School, lives at 3826 Brooklyn St. Her father left before she was born, her mum is a tattoo artist. Has a hardship license, and, oh my."

"What, Alfred?"

"Black Mask has placed a bounty on her."

Batman immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at the Batcomputer's screen.

"One hundred million dollars alive? Good heavens, why so much for one girl?"

"I have no idea, Alfred. I'm going to find out why, but first I need to go to her house and set up a crime scene before the evidence is destroyed. Take care of her while I'm gone." Then Batman hopped in the Batmobile and took off.

He arrived at Devan's house. No one was home, and it was over five blocks from the alley where he found her.

He walked over to the back door to find that the glass had been punched through in order to get inside. _Forced entry._ Batman mentally noted. No fingerprints, but fibers from gloves which Batman collected in an evidence bag.

Batman walked inside into the kitchen and tried to turn on the lights. _No electricity, _he noted. _He cut the power to the house, and maybe,_ he grabbed the home phone and listened to it, only to find it dead. _Just as I suspected. He cut the electricity _and_ the phone lines. This wasn't a random attack, this was planned. _

While looking around, Batman found Devan's broken glasses at the bottom of the stairs. _Hmm, maybe I can recreate what happened using the Recreator Fox worked up for me. _

Batman turned on the Detective vision featured in his mask, and scanned the broken glasses.

Devan was upstairs in the bathroom adding more pink in her hair, as if she doesn't have enough colors. She left whenever she was done and went downstairs when she hears the intruder trying to break in. She runs into her room, grabs a phone and hides in her closet, trying to call the cops but the phones weren't working. The attacker begins to look around upstairs until he finds her in the closet. He grabbed her by her ankle and dragged her by the staircase, where he punched her in the face for over two minutes. He then kicked her in the ribs, causing her to fall down the stairs which broke her ankle and shoulder. She got away by stabbing him in the knee with a pen that was on the floor nearby.

_Smart kid. As for the attacker, where did he go? _Batman said to himself. He left a narrow blood trail when Devan stabbed him._ This should lead me right to him. _

The blood drops lead to an alley not far from the house. The attacker was easy to identify, he was the only one sitting and holding his knee which was wrapped in some sort of cloth. He was accompanied by a few other thugs. _I should listen to them, _Batman thought. _They may give me information on Devan's importance to Black Mask. _

"The stupid kid got me with a friggin'-" (grunt)

"Ha! You got outsmarted by a-"

"Oh shaddap! I hope I hurt her good."

_You did._

"Why does Black Mask want this kid anyways?"

"Somethin' goin' on between him and the Joker."

_Joker, too?_

"What does Joker have to do with anything?"

"Who cares? I'm just in it for the money."

"I'm in it for the kid. Man, she's _smokin' _hot. Think they'll get mad if I, you know, do somethin'?"

"Don't even think about it man."

_Time to move in. _

Batman drops down on Devan's attacker, and the others run away scared.

_"__Why do Black Mask and Joker want Devan Napier?" _Batman furiously demanded, still sitting on the thug, holding his neck.

"I-I dunno man!" the thug stutters in fear.

_"You're lying!"_

"Okay okay! Black Mask said whoever brings her to him first gets one hundred million dollars! Said something about him getting back at Joker! That's all I know man! I swear to God!"

"Swear to me!" Batman yells, then knocks the thug unconscious with a fist to his head.

"Alfred, let the GCPD know about Devan and the whereabouts of her attacker."

"_Consider it done, sir." _

"How is she?"

_"__She's still sedated, sir. Most of her bleeding has stopped and some of the swelling went down." _

"Good. I'm on my way to interrogate the Joker at Arkham Asylum."

Batman hopped into the Batmobile and drove to Arkham Island. _So Joker has the main interest in her. _Batman thought. _Black Mask just needs her to use against him. But the question is, what's so special about her? Nothing on her bio said anything interesting. I just hope Joker will cooperate with me. _

Batman pulled up at the Asylum and walked in through the front door to find the security guard reading a magazine.

"'ey, Batman. What's up?" he says, looking up from his magazine.

"I need to see the Joker. I have to interrogate him about something."

"Yeah, sure. Just one moment." Then he begins to speak through his radio. "'ey, warden, Batman here to interrogate the Joker 'bout somethin'. Can he come in?"

"_Of course he can! Let him through, I'm on my way." _

"Right this way, Batman." The guard says and lets Batman through the turnstile just as Warden Quincy Sharpe comes down the hall. "I'll take you to his cell." He says.

"So what's this about?" the warden asks as they walk down the hall to the Intensive Care wing.

"I need to interrogate him about a girl named Devan Napier."

"That's new. Who is she?"

"A sophomore at the high school. It seems like Black Mask and the Joker are at some sort of rivalry, and she's in the middle of it."

"How so?"

"Black Mask set a hundred million dollar reward for her alive, seemingly to get under the Joker's skin. I found her in an alley unconscious and in bad shape because someone tried to kidnap her for that reward. I'm taking care of her until whatever's going on between Joker and Black Mask comes to an end."

They arrive at the Joker's cell, and see him smiling his evil red smile and sitting on his cot in a straitjacket. "Haven't you ruined my night enough, Bats?" he exclaims through the glass. Then he starts laughing hysterically.

"I came for information, Joker." Batman growls as the warden walks away.

"You think I'll talk to you? Please, you have nothing to threaten me with! How-"

"Not even Devan?"

Joker's face turns blank. He hesitates, and says, "I don't know what you're talking about, Bats."

"Black Mask placed a one hundred million dollar reward on her."

"_WHAT!" _Joker shrieks in surprise. "How was I not aware of that?" Then his voice calms into a growl. "Oh- he's done it now. When I get out of here-"

"Were you aware that someone broke into her house and tried to kidnap her?"

Joker's jaw sets and he takes a deep, angry breath, but before he could say anything Batman continued.

"They beat her pretty badly. I found her in an alley unconscious after I apprehended you. She's back at my place, sedated for the pain."

"Well, she better get _un_-sedated and _out _of your place, Bats, before I get more upset than I already am!"

"I'm here to find out why she's so important to you and Black Mask."

Joker takes a deep breath. "That's personal, Bats. It's none of your business, now get out of here. I have some escaping to do and some revenge to get."

"You won't escape, Joker."

"Watch me."

"Try me." Then Batman walks down the hall and back to the Batmobile.

"Alfred, Joker won't tell me why Devan's so important to him. I'm on my way back."

"Which reminds me, sir, you have a little fan."

"What are you talking about, Alfred?"

"She has a tattoo of the Bat symbol on the back of her neck."

Batman chuckles. "Kids these days."

"Aren't you going to take her to the hospital, sir?"

"Not while there's a bounty on her. It's too dangerous."

* * *

_(Back at the Batcave) _

Batman was on the Batcomputer searching more on Devan's bio when suddenly Devan, still sedated on the metal table, began coughing erratically. She woke up, and her confused eyes wandered around the Batcave, looking for the answer to her whereabouts.

"How do you feel?" Batman asks, his voice making her jump.

"Wha-what happened? Where am I?" her scared voice asks with heavy breaths in between every other word.

"Don't be afraid of me. A man tried to kidnap you tonight. He's in jail, now. You're safe."

"Are, are you the Batman?"

"Yes, you've heard of me?"

She then slowly puts her hand on the back of her neck.

"I'll take that tattoo as a yes."

"You like it?"

"Aren't you a little too young for tattoos?"

"I'm too young for a lot of things I do."

Batman turns back to the Batcomputer. "What do you know about the Joker?"

"The Joker? You mean that clown guy on the news all the time? What does he have to do with anything?"

"You mean you don't know what's going on?"

"Umm, no."

"You're in the middle of a rivalry between the Joker and Black Mask. Which is why someone tried to kidnap you."

"What do you mean I'm in the middle of a rivalry? And who the fuck is Black ass or whatever?"

Batman hesitates, startled at her un lady-like language. "The Joker appears to have a soft spot for you, so Black _Mask_ decided to place a bounty on you alive, so he can use you against him."

"Wait wait wait, there's a reward for whoever kidnaps me? Oh God..."

"You'll be safe here until I get this mess straightened out."

Devan takes a deep breath and holds her broken ankle. "Why am I so sore?"

"Because your attacker pushed you down the stairs."

"Shouldn't I" (grunt) "see a doctor or something?"

"Not while there's a bounty on you. You're safer here."

* * *

_(The Joker)_

"Ready for your session?" Harleen asks.

The Joker remained quiet, as if no one was there. He just stared at the ceiling, thinking about Devan and her whereabouts. He was furious that Black Mask set an award, and he was even more furious that someone had tried to kidnap her. Someone except him, that is.

"You seem upset. Wanna talk about it?" Harleen says, interrupting his thoughts.

"No, dear," the Joker growled. "I want to do something about it, but I can't if I'm trapped in this damn asylum!"

"What's wrong?"

He hesitates, thinking of a good way to put it. "I wasn't always like this, you know." He began. "In fact, I even had a family once. By that, I mean I had a wife named Jeannie."

"I thought I was a good husband. Worked six days a week, paying rent and buying groceries. In exchange, Jeannie carried my unborn daughter."

"Then Jeannie abandoned me. She just packed her bags one day and left, taking _my _daughter with her._ My_ daughter. She _robbed_ me, Harley. And for a long time, I blamed myself. I spent countless hours in therapy, and even tried killing myself. See?" he pulls down his sleeve to show Harleen the scars on his wrist.

"That didn't work, unfortunately. Then, I think about my daughter. How is she? Where is she? Is she even alive? What's her name? What is she like? All these questions buzzed in my head for fifteen years now, until I finally found her right here in Gotham. Devan, is her name. She's already a sophomore. Hell, she can already drive!" he takes a deep breath and hesitates. "My baby girl, all grown up, and I missed everything."

"I'm sorry," Harleen says, really not knowing what else to say.

"To make matters worse, Black Mask decided to stab me with the personal knife. He places a reward on her. A one hundred million dollar reward! Just because she's my only weakness! I have to get to her before Black Mask does, but I can't because the flying rat locked me up in here, and to top that, he kidnapped her! Nobody touches that angel but ME!"

Before Harleen can say anything, a guard comes in saying the session is over and wheels him out of the room and back into his cell.

Later that night, the Joker was lying awake in his cot when he hears the sound of his cell opening. He looks up and sees Harleen by the switch.

"Go," she says. "Save your daughter."

The Joker didn't know what to say. Instead, he ran out of his cell and out the front door, so eager to see his baby girl again.

* * *

_(Batman)_

Batman was in the Batmobile with sleeping Devan in the passenger seat, on his way to the hospital to drop Devan off. _They'll come after her, _Batman thought. _When they do, I'll be ready, and so will the police. _

Batman arrived at the hospital. He carried Devan out of the Batmobile and into the hospital. The nurse at the front table looked up, surprised at what she sees.

"She needs medical attention. She has a broken ankle, broken shoulder, three broken ribs and had a nasty blow to the head you may want to check out."

The nurse called the doctor, and he came and wheeled her away in a medical stretcher. Before the nurse could follow them, Batman stopped her.

"Be prepared for an attack sometime soon. Get as many people out of here as you can, but leave the girl here."

The nurse nods and notifies the doctor as they wheel Devan away to a room.

* * *

_(Devan, ten minutes later, 2:00 am)_

Devan had to get a medical boot on her left ankle and her right arm had to be put in a sling due to her broken shoulder, but other than that, her other injuries were capable of healing by themselves. Her head wasn't too badly injured, and her broken ribs couldn't be dealt with other than to put ice on them.

Devan lie in her bed, so hopelessly confused at what was going on around her. Why would some guy she didn't even know place a reward on her? What did she do wrong? And how did he know who she even was?

She was also dazzled by the fact that the legendary Batman had saved her life. She had always dreamt of meeting the Batman. She thought Batman was awesome, which is why she got the tattoo of his symbol on the back of her neck for her birthday. Yes, she was a little young for tattoos, but it was totally worth it.

She lie in her bed thinking about him when suddenly she hears something coming from the end of the hallway.

_Boom….__Boom….Boom_

Each sound getting louder. Closer, followed by voices.

"They're all empty!"

"Keep looking! She's around here somewhere!"

_No,_ Devan thinks. _They found me. Oh God, they found me._

Devan struggles to climb off her bed with pain in every movement, and out of panic, she rolls under the bed and clamps her hand over her mouth right as her door is kicked open.

"This one's empty!"

"I'm startin' to doubt the little twat's here."

"She has to be! Ricky saw the Bat drop her off here!"

"Then the Bat'll kill us any second now. Without a doubt he's got a plan."

"Chill, man. Two of us and one of him. Besides, I want that money. Now turn this place upside down!"

Then the sound of footsteps pattering on the tile emerge and grow fainter and fainter.

_Oh God_, Devan thought. _Where's the hell is the Batman? _

Devan silently crawled out from under the bed and used the handle to stand herself up_. _Her broken ankle prevented her from walking easily. Unless she found some crutches somewhere, she'd have to limp.

She limped to the drawer and pulls a needle out to use for defense. Then she limped her way to the door and checked both ways before exiting the room. The coast was clear, so Devan limped her way down the hall until the emergency exit came into view. She had just opened the door when she heard the voices from earlier, now on the opposite end of the hallway.

"There she is!"

_Shit_, Devan thought as she made her way down the stairs. She had just made it to the next-to-last floor when the doors above her swung open and angry feet ran down the stairs. She had one more story to go when she tripped and plummeted down the steps, hitting the wall with such great force that her senses became blurry.

"Thought you could get away from us, little girl?" A voice teased as the hand held her down. "Sedate her."

Devan felt a sting in her arm. She tried her hardest to stay awake but couldn't fight the drowsiness and fell asleep.

_(2:30 am)_

"Wake up, Devan," a blurry voice says in a singing tone."Wakey wakey eggs n' bakey,"

Devan could barely open her good, un swollen eye, and her mind was very foggy. She had no clue who was speaking to her, and no memory of what had happened earlier.

"WAKE UP DAMMIT!" the voice screams, followed by a painful backhand to Devan's forehead.

Devan was wide awake now, and everything became much clearer. She was taped to a chair in a small room, her mouth was taped shut, and nothing was covering her torso but her floral and zebra-print bra. A man with a black skull mask and white suit walked in circles around her, and her memory of what had happened in the hospital came rushing back when she saw the bodies of the men who kidnapped her lying on the floor by the doorway.

"That woke you up, didn't it?" the man teasingly asked and sat in front of her, placing his elbows on her knees and harassingly rubbed her thighs.

Devan wanted to kick him so badly, but her feet were taped to the legs of the chair.

"Ya wanna say somethin' while ya still can?" the man asks as he removes the duct tape from Devan's mouth. She looks at him with a cold stare, and then spits right in the man's face.

The man breathes heavily, then slaps her right across the face, causing her immense pain and making her squeal.

"Wanna try that again?" the man shouts as he forces the tape back on her mouth and wipes the spit from his mask.

"You're just like your daddy." The man growls. "Just throw some make up on and nobody'll ever tell the damn difference!" then he slaps her again, harder.

The pain makes tears fall from Devan's eye.

"Aww, did that hurt? Oh, cry me a freakin' river!" he teases and slaps her again. Then he gets up and slowly begins to walk in circles around her. "Your dad's done lots a' things to me in the past. Let's just call this, good ol' fashion rev-" he pauses and moves her messed-up pony tail to the side.

"Well, well." He chuckles. "Somebody's a lil' fan of flyin' rats I see." Then he starts to laugh hysterically. "Oh, I can't wait to show your ol' man this! I can't even imagine his face!" he begins to laugh so hard Devan can hear him pounding on the walls. "Now that's funny. You should get one a' those of me!"

Then the man looks up to the computer screens on the top right corner of the room, which Devan noticed for the first time. The screens show another room, with someone walking through them. Then Devan realizes it's the Joker she sees on the news all the time.

"Showtime." The man mutters. Then he held a knife to Devan's throat, threatening to cut her flesh. "I'm going to cut you lose now," he growled behind his mask. "But try _one_ thing and I'll screw you into the wall."

Devan took his word for it. She was scared frozen anyway, and let him cut the tape off her. She felt so violated and embarrassed, being in her bra and pajama bottoms in front of this complete stranger. What was he going to do to her? And how the hell did he know who her father was? She didn't even know who her father was!

When the man was done cutting the tape, he grabbed Devan by her hair and threw her on the ground, making sure she landed on her broken shoulder. She shrieked in immense pain, and her breath clogged in her throat as she received the first kick to the stomach. "SHUT UP!" The man shouted and kicked her again, this time in the chest. Then he rolled her on her back and pinned his knee to her chest as he taped her wrists together. Then he violently pulled her up, forcing her to walk beside him with a knife to her throat.

They were in some kind of warehouse, or factory. Devan could see the machines and equipment as she walked to God knows where. Where was he taking her?

You've got a lot a' nerve, just like your daddy." he said with his bone-chilling voice. "Heh, this'll teach him to mess with me."

_Where the hell are you Batman?_ Devan desperately wondered. Surely he was looking for her, right? He wouldn't just abandon her like her father did, right?

"You should have seen that fight she put up back there!" the man shouts as he pulls her in front of him and tightens the knife's grip on her neck, making Devan realize that the Joker is there with a gun pointed in their direction. "I'm starting to see the family resemblance here!"

"You have two seconds to drop her before I pump you full a' lead!" the Joker shouts furiously.

"Oh! You just have to see this tattoo she has!" the man violently spins her around to where the Joker can see her back and moves her pony tail out of the way.

There's a moment of silence before the man bursts out laughing. "You need one a' these!" he shouts, then spins her around back in her old position with his knife on her neck.

"I'm giving you a fair warning, Black Mask!" the Joker shouts, more furiously. "Hand her over!"

"Careful now! You don't wanna miss and put a bullet through this pretty little body, now would you?" The man said as he fingered the cup on her bra.

Joker was about to say something when Batman swooped down and landed on Black Mask, causing Devan to lose her balance and hit her head on the wall and lose consciousness.

The Joker ran to Devan and checked her pulse while Batman and Black Mask were brawling. He took off his purple coat and wrapped it around her cold and injured body. Then he pulled all the duct tape off her, picked her up and ran out of the room. "Thanks, Bats!" he shouted before he left the building. "I owe ya one!"

With unconscious Devan still in his arms, the Joker ran out to his van, buckled Devan in the passenger seat, hopped in the driver's seat and drove off.


	2. Daddy's little girl

(4:00 am, Joker)

They had been driving for an hour and a half. Devan was still sleeping in the passenger seat next to him. He couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she was, about how much she looked like him.

The Joker had finally pulled up to his destination. His old apartment he lived in with Jeannie before she left him, now closed down and abandoned in the ghetto part of Gotham. _Perfect_, he thought. _It's still here._

He parked the van in a parking spot, picked Devan up in his arms and walked in the old building. Everything was pitch black, and when the Joker flipped the breaker in the basement, dim yellow lights flickered as they fought to stay lit after years of being forsaken. Everything looked exactly as he remembered. The same decor in the hallway, same check-in desk in the corner, same staircase in the back, now buried under the debris of time and lack of care.

Without a doubt the elevator was a death trap, so the Joker decided to take the creaky stairs. It was a while, but he managed to find his old room on the 3rd floor. He kicked the door open and turned the lights on, and every memory he had ever had came rushing back. All the furniture was still there, surprisingly. His same kitchen, living room, bedroom, fire escape, everything was still there in its rightful place. He glared to the closed door in the back with the note still attached to it,

_Jeannie_,  
_Do_ _not_ _open_ _until_ _ready!_

_Jack_

He prays to God that what was once behind that door was still there, untouched. He used his hand to open the door, and he was breathless by the relief.

It was a baby room. A beautiful, detailed baby room with pink painted walls, a hand-built crib in the corner, dresser jammed-packed with baby clothes, and even a box full of toys. Before Jeannie had left, he had just finished building the perfect room for their incoming daughter.

Devan

With his sleeping daughter still in his arms, the Joker slowly walked to the white crib in the corner of the room. It was just how he left it, teddy bear, pink sheets, all still there. He took a deep breath.

"I use to picture you sleeping in this crib as a baby," he said, knowing Devan couldn't hear. He took another breath, digging through his mind for other things to get off his chest. "I use to think you'd be my baby girl forever, and that it'd be you, me, and Jeannie against the world."

He looks down to her face and sees her black, swollen eye along with the other red, beaten areas. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Devan." He whispers in her natural brown hair as he kisses her forehead. "You deserve so much better."

The Joker realized he was exhausted. With Devan still in his arms, he drags his feet to his old bedroom and lies Devan down on the bed. With tired eyes, he takes his shoes off, and lies down beside his daughter. "Promise me one thing, Devan." He says before he falls asleep. "Please don't hate me when you wake up."

* * *

(Devan)

Devan had heard everything he said. Her mind was awake but her eyes were too heavy to open.

Whoever the hell this Joker was, he had to have the wrong girl. But then again, how did he know her name? And why would he take her to, wherever she was?

He talks like he's her dad. But that's impossible! Her father left her and her mom before she was even born. There's no way this guy was her dad, right? No way!

Devan's mind was a battle of debates on what to infer about her, supposedly, dad.

_No fucking way the Joker's my dad! No fucking way!_

_You don't know, he may be telling the truth. He sounded pretty serious._

_He's a hell of an actor! Am I seriously going to trust him?_

_I say just give him a chance. You saw the way he saved your life._

_No, that was the Batman._

_You know what I mean. He went after the man who kidnapped you and held him at gunpoint. And besides, Batman even said he had feelings for you._

_This is probably the one time Batman's wrong._

_Just give the Joker a chance, Devan. Just give him a chance. __Think about it, if he likes you, he won't kill you._

_I should just sneak out while he's sleeping._

_Hell no! If you leave, not only will he hunt you down, but think about everything he said. He'll be destroyed!_

_He'll be destroyed once he finds out he's not my dad._

_Here's an idea. If he's really your dad, you'll stay. If this is one of those situations where he had a daughter that died and is looking for a girl to replace her, than you can get the hell out._

Devan decided to give the Joker a chance to prove that he's really her father.

But then, a thought struck her like a sucker punch. Devan had the thought that she kind of acted like the Joker, in a way. She was known for her anger issues and violent nature. Plus, she swore a lot, colored her hair and has even gotten in trouble with the police with aggravated assault.

_Don't you dare do that to yourself!_ Devan shouted at herself in her mind. _Let him prove it to you. Have him run a DNA test or something._

_But what about mom?_ Devan thought. _Why does he want me and not her? What will he do to her? Did something happen between them that made him leave? But wait, why would he leave and come back?_ It doesn't add up. Nothing adds up. Devan was so confused to the point she just wanted to kill herself and end everything.

(The next morning)

Devan woke up screaming out of her control, her senses blurry and her hands swatting at the air above her. She felt a hand clamp over her mouth but her vocal chords wouldn't remain quiet.

"Devan!" A voice called. "Devan, it's alright!"

She had managed to calm down enough to stop screaming, but still breathed very heavily under the man's hand. When she opened her eyes for the first time, the Joker was the first thing she saw and scared her even more.

"It's alright, Devan," the Joker repeated in a gentle voice, with his hand still covering her mouth. "Just calm down. Don't be afraid of me."

The Joker removed his hand and Devan gasped for her breath. "Who-the hell are you?"she stammered.

"Call me daddy."

Devan was quiet for a second, her gasping calmed to steady breathing. "You're joking, right?"

"Don't let the name fool you, sweetheart." Joker says as he rubs her bare arm.

"I think you have the wrong person," Devan says, sitting up and refusing to look him in the eye, "My dad decided he didn't like me before I was born."

"Is that what Jeannie told you?" Joker scoffed. "The bitch!"

Devan took a nervous breath. "How do you know my mom's name?"

"'Cuz I was married to her once. We made you on this very bed."

"Okay, can we not talk about this?"

"Or was it the couch?"

(Cough) "I'm getting sick,"

The Joker snapped his fingers with excitement. "Oh I remember! It was the men's room at that nightclub down the street!"

Devan held her mouth to prevent vomiting. "You're disgusting!"

"Ha! Just messing with you, sweetie. It was the bed."

"Ugh, God!" Devan shrieks, putting her head in her lap in disgust.

"Alright, alright, enough with your origin story." Joker says and begins to stroke her bare back around her bra strap, noticing her tattoo again. "I can see you're a fan of the flying rat."

Devan sits up in fear of what he might do about it. She knew damn well she was screwed.

"Who made you get it? Your boyfriend, the Bat?"

"Nobody-made me do anything. It was my decision."

"I really don't understand you teenagers nowadays. All the sexting and technology and selfies. Speaking of selfies, would it kill you to pick one hair color and stick with it?"

Devan's nervous eyes met his. "You've been on my phone?"

"And to think, you didn't suspect a thing! I mean c'mon, Devan! Leaving it on the kitchen table while nobody was home, you might as well have left your car keys in the restroom at school!"

Devan, scared now, began breathing heavily. "You were in my house?"

"You know, you should really consider cleaning your room. I nearly killed myself last time."

Too bad you survived, Devan thought in the back of her mind. But other than mentally being a smartass like she normally is, Devan was horrified. How did he know so much about her? She hated being around him, especially in her bra and pajama bottoms.

"Can I have a shirt?" She asked, feeling violated in her bra.

"You can have whatever you want, sweetheart." Joker said as he kissed her forehead. Then he got up from the bed, went to the dresser, pulls out a white t-shirt and tosses it to her.

_Can I have my personal space, too_? Devan thought as she put the shirt on with her left arm, but didn't dare say aloud.

"You know I can read your face," Joker says as he sits back down next to Devan and wraps his arm around her shoulders. "You really don't like me, and you sure as hell don't believe I'm your father."

_Damn right_, Devan thought, letting her face say what she's thinking.

"I don't know about you Devan, but I think a daddy-daughter fun day will cool our jets."

_I think it won't_.

"But," he continued. "Maybe we should just start from the beginning." He laid back down on his back. "Lie down with me and I'll tell you a story."

Devan was sickened, but knew resisting him wasn't a good idea. Besides, he was gentle with her, and that other guy nearly stripped her to the bone and beat the crap out of her.

She laid down and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and twirled her hair in his fingers. "Once upon a time," he began. "A man and a woman fell in love with each other. They loved each other so much that they got married and decided to start a family. The woman got pregnant with a little girl, but the man couldn't support her. He searched all over Gotham for work, but nobody would hire him. That was until he met two men who needed help and were willing to pay him. He took their job and got money for groceries and rent, and even made a baby room for their daughter. One night, he got home from work and his wife wasn't there. He was horrified. He thought something terrible happened to her, but managed to convince himself that she would be back the next morning. When the next morning came, she never came back. Nor the next morning, or the morning after that. He finally accepted she had left him, after a long time of beating himself up and convincing himself he was less of a person. He even tried killing himself, but when that didn't work, he saw everything completely different. He began to focus more on his daughter, probably out there in the cold, dark world. He didn't know her name or her birthday or what she looked like, or if she was even alive. He was so curious, he searched for her, never giving up on her. She was his _only_ priority, the _only_ thing that kept him going. By the time he found her with help from the internet, she was already fifteen years old." He patted her back. "And she was the most perfect child he could ever ask for."

Devan was in awe by the story. She knew exactly what he was hinting at, but didn't want to believe it. He was the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime, and he was her dad.

If he was telling the truth, then that means that her mother lied. She told her that her father didn't care about either of them and left before she was born. Her mother lied, but why did she leave? Was there more to the story?

Or was the Joker lying?

That made sense, but Devan couldn't ignore the possibility that he was her dad. All the things she had said in the past about her father leaving, "he didn't care about me, he didn't understand the pullout maneuver, he obviously didn't want to be a part of the picture," she immediately regretted her words and prayed to God he didn't hear any of it.

The Joker took Devan's shaking hand and gently pressed it against his, comparing them in size. "We're almost the same size." He said through his unbreakable smile. Then he closed his fingers around her hand, pulled it closer to his face and kissed it. Long, and savoring, like he had all the time in the world. It made a chill go down Devan's spine, but she managed to hold back her emotions.

She wondered what the Batman was doing at that moment.

* * *

(Batman)

"What do you have against that poor girl, Sionis?" Batman growled in the interrogation room with Black Mask sitting across from him.

"What's it too-ya, Batman?"

"I'm not asking again."

"Yeah, maybe I was a lil' hard on the twat. But, it pissed Joker off pretty damn good."

"Why does he care about her so much?"

"Why do you care, Batman?"

"I ask the questions around here, Sionis. Why is Devan in the middle of all this?"

"She's just a stupid kid, Bat-for-brain. Why-"

"DAMN IT, SIONIS!" Batman furiously shouted, dropping his fist on the table with immense anger. "SHE'S NOT A STUPID KID! SHE'S JUST AS HUMAN AS YOU ARE, AND RIGHT NOW, SHE'S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE SCARED OUT OF HER MIND AND BEING HELD AGAINST HER WILL! She'll die, Sionis! She will die, and she didn't even do anything wrong! Not to you, not to me, not to anybody! I don't want her to die, Sionis! So tell me right FUCKING now, why is she so important!"

Black Mask was in awe from Batman's outbreak. Then he slowly clapped his hands. "Now, that's the side of you I like." He said.

Batman completely loses his temper. He stands up, his teeth clenched and his fists meet the table with a loud "bang!". But before he could do anything, Commissioner Gordon comes in through the door. "He's useless. We got what we need."

Batman followed Gordon to the forensics lab, leaving Black Mask by himself in the interrogation room.

"You're not going to believe this, Batman." Gordon said when they arrive to a table in the forensics lab. "Take a look at this."

The DNA fingerprinting results from Devan and the Joker came in and were lying on the table. Batman stared down at them, not believing his eyes.

"She's his daughter?" He asked aloud.

"That's right." Gordon sighed. "Apparently he had a baby with a woman named Jeannie Napier."

Batman stood in his position, surprised. "I thought they looked similar."

"At least we know he won't hurt her." Gordon says, trying to look to the bright side.

Batman thought for a second. "But he'll destroy her life." He then said. "Think about it, Jim. He'll raise her to be just as evil as him. Or worse, she could kill herself."

Gordon widened his eyes. "Then we need to find her. Right now!"

"Maybe there's one person who can help us find Devan." Batman said, looking at the DNA fingerprinting analysis.

* * *

(12:00 am, Joker and Devan)

The Joker woke up in the middle of the night to a strange sound coming from across the room.

"_Thud, creeek...thud, creeek...thud, creeek...thud, creeek...thud, creeek...thud, cree_ek"

He moved his hand around the space on the mattress around him where Devan fell asleep, only to feel the warm sheets of the bed.

"Forget it, Devan. You're not escaping." Joker tiredly moaned, but the noise continued in its pattern, uninterrupted. The Joker became annoyed. "Devan, come back to bed." He said louder, and the noise continued. Then he sighed, got up from the bed and was prepared to chew Devan out he saw her, not sure what exactly she was doing.

Devan, with her eyes closed and drool spilling out of her mouth, was standing inches from the bedroom door, repeatedly leaning forward until her head met the door with a gentle "thud" and then she leaned back until her back was straight. That made the thudding sound, and the creaking sound was the squeaky door hinges shifting back into their natural positions. This continued in the same pattern, as if the door had gravitational powers she wasn't strong enough to fight.

Leans forward, hits her head, leans back. Leans forward, hits her head, leans back.

The Joker was suspicious. "Wanna tell me what the hell you're doing?" He asked Devan, but she remained unresponsive and continued hitting her head on the door. The Joker flipped the light switch and the lights flickered on, but Devan showed no sign of reaction to them.

"You're sleepwalking, aren't you?" The Joker chuckled, and yet again Devan didn't answer. He put his hand on her forehead just before she hit it on the door. At first her body tried to resist him, but then it obeyed and she stood still, not waking up from her slumber.

With one hand on Devan's forehead, Joker put his other hand on her back and slowly walked her back to the bed. "My little sleepwalker," he said as he gently forced her sleeping body to lie back down on the bed. He covered her with the blanket, kissed her forehead and laid beside her just before he fell asleep.

(The next morning)

Devan had another nightmare about Black Mask, but this time she woke up gasping instead of screaming, and noticed her left wrist was handcuffed to the bed.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" The Joker announced with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He was lying on the bed next to her.

"Why am I handcuffed to the bed?" Devan shrieked in fear.

"You had a little sleepwalking episode last night," Joker replied. "Now I see why Jeannie put a lock on your door."

Devan sighed in an annoyed manner. "God damn it," she muttered under her breath.

"Why must God damn it?"

Devan hesitated. "I've had a sleepwalking problem since I was twelve." She admitted. "I thought I got rid of it."

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Joker asked as he unlocked the handcuffs.

Devan was quiet for a second, and then shook her head.

"You're a little liar."

Devan hesitates, then breathes deeply. "That guy with the black mask." She started with her voice breaking. "He-" she takes a deep breath and a tear runs down her cheek. "He scares—the hell out of me. Every night—I go to sleep, thinking—I'm gonna wake up and—he'll be there-"

The Joker cut her off by wrapping his arms around her in a comforting way. He couldn't stand seeing her like this anymore.

"He said," Devan continued with a shaking voice. "That if I-tried anything-then he'd-screw me in the-wall."

That launched Joker's anger. Black Mask had crossed the line big time, and he sure as hell was going to pay for it.

"Wait here," he snapped, trying not to take his anger out on Devan, as he got up from the bed and stormed out of the bedroom.

"Wait," Devan cried as she tried to catch up with him at the front door. "Where are you going?"

_"I've got errands to run!"_ he shouted furiously and slammed the door shut so hard that the entire room shook.


	3. Devan's Homecoming

The Joker returned to the apartment at midnight that night with a paper bag in his hand, containing a present for Devan. He had calmed down now, and wondered what she had been doing the entire time he was gone. He regretted leaving her alone all day, and especially taking his anger out on her. When he reached their floor, a faint thudding noise emerged from the walls.

_Oh God_, _not this again_, the Joker thought. _She must have been doing this for hours._

He hurried to their room to find the front door thudding from the other side, more violently than last time. He looked down to the floor and a blood puddle was leaking from underneath the door.

In a panic, Joker opened the door to find Devan sleepwalking, her forehead bruised and bleeding heavily along with a blood stain running down the door and to the floor. She leaned forward again, ready to bang her head again but instead fell into the Joker's arms.

"Damn it, Devan," Joker muttered as he guided sleeping Devan back to their bedroom. "You're going to get yourself killed."

He laid Devan down on the bed and put a towel on her head to stop the bleeding. He was surprised to see she hadn't escaped, and a wave of relief came through him when he saw that he hadn't tried to kill herself like he thought she would. Maybe she came to her senses and finally warmed up to him. That made him feel better on the inside, more confident that he can be the father he'd always wanted to be.

The next morning

Devan woke up without screaming or gasping for once, but had a terrible throbbing headache. She touched her forehead, and felt a leaking ice pack instead. When she removed it and rubbed her skin, she felt a lump that hurt just to touch, along with an unfamiliar rough feeling.

The Joker wasn't in the apartment, so Devan got up and went to the bathroom. She looked in the cracked mirror, and a purple lump nearly covered her entire forehead with a black line running through the middle. Stitches. What happened last night?

_Sleepwalking_, she thought. The Joker never returned since he stormed out in a fit of anger. But, maybe he returned last night to put the stitches in her head, and to switch out the ice pack. She must have been sleepwalking for hours before he returned to get an injury like this, one to require stitches. It's happened before when she was living with her mom. But where was her dad now? Out killing people?

On the bright side, almost all the wounds Black Mask gave her seemed to be getting better. Her eye wasn't swollen shut anymore, her broken bones seemed to be healing, and all the aftermath from his fist on her face healed, leaving the lump by itself.

Well, it's a start on her road to recovery.

"You know," the Joker, appearing out of nowhere, said behind her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "We're gonna have to do something about that sleepwalking habit of yours." He kissed her shoulder and her neck. "You nearly killed yourself last night."

A chill went down Devan's spine as he pressed his body against hers.

"And you know what else?" Joker asks as he kissed her cheek. "I have something that may help." He put his hand over her eyes and guided her out of the bathroom.

"Where the hell are we going?"

"You'll see."

His hands guided her to the kitchen. He removed his hand from her eyes, and a head-sized box with a bow on top and decorated with purple and green wrapping paper sat on the table.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Your homecoming present." Joker responded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a comforting way.

"My what?"

"Your homecoming present. 3826 Brooklyn isn't your real home, Devan. That's just the place where you sleep and eat. Every single detail about your life started here, in this very apartment. This is your home, Devan." He kisses her cheek. "You're finally home."

Devan began breathing heavily in fear, looking at the present box and wondering what could be inside. She took the present box from the table and hesitantly tore off the bow. Her fingers, almost stiff with fear, then carefully tore the wrapping paper off until the brown cardboard box top came into view.

"Is this gonna blow up?"

"Yeah Devan. It's gonna blow up. That's why I'm standing right next to you."

Devan took that as a no. She worked up the courage to peel the cardboard flaps back and reach her hand inside. Her fingers touched something cold and hard.

She was relieved when could tell it wasn't alive before.

It was circular-ish. She found a groove her fingers could grasp on and pulled the object out of the box. What she saw took her breath from her lungs.

It was Black Mask's mask with chunks missing and a crack running from the eye socket to the corner of the mouth.

Devan was speechless. Her hands were trembling, not knowing whether to be scared out of her mind or relieved.

"Didn't I tell you?" Joker chirped with a smile on his face and kisses her forehead. "I knew you'd love it!"

"Wha-what did you do?" Devan asked once she regained her words, still holding the mask.

The Joker pulled her closer to him and rubbed her shoulder. "I made him sorry."


End file.
